Used Jaguar | Life having a £500 luxury barge – the final chapter

the idea has been a superb nine months, however an unfortunate prang has prompted an earlier than expected end to Jag ownership

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Yes, dear reader, you have read the headline correctly. the idea can be having a heavy heart which I must confess the XJ has been sold on. however the decision was one motivated more by the series of circumstances which have come about over the past month, rather than just wanting the idea gone.

Indeed, if everything had stayed as the idea had been, I’d still be smoking around inside old thing currently. Unfortunately, the morning of 11 September put an end to which. You see, there I was was minding my own business, when a van began reversing out of a side road (the wrong way down a one-way street, I might add) onto the high street down which I was moving.

Assuming he’d seen me – along with the additional seven or so cars following – approaching, I sounded the horn a couple of times to let him know there was no way of stopping in time. He seemed to slow, so I steered around him a little just to be sure. Not far enough the idea turned out.

There was a bump along with sickening scrape as the auto dragged itself across his rear doors. I stopped instantly, took pictures, made sure he accepted liability along with sulked off. A week later, the auto was declared a total loss, a ‘Cat C’ if you will. The repair estimate was £1400.

However, because the auto was still mechanically sound along with perfectly safe to drive, my insurer was happy to pay out along with let me keep the auto. So the idea was decision time. Do I get the repair work done along with continue with the Jag, or investigate another cheap motoring avenue? I’d had nine glorious months driving my old barge, so I reasoned the idea was time to move on.

A week later along with the idea was sold, to a local chap who’d had a few XJs before along with who wisely had a second X300 in a garage to use as a donor car. The cost? £335. He was laughing all the way home, however I’d effectively run the auto for free, along with as sad as the idea was to see the idea go, I could rest assured the idea had been a Great financial decision.

He called a couple of days after the sale, however my initial dread quickly turned to relief when the idea transpired he was simply checking I’d transferred ownership. He went on to apologise for what he’d paid for the idea. A happy customer indeed.

So where to go next? the idea’s been a slower process This kind of time around – if you remember I saw along with bought the Jag within a week. With classic insurance being my preferred route, the auto still has to be at least 20 years old, along with I’ve set my budget at around £1k This kind of time. Cars such as Alfa GTVs along with Spiders, Audi cabriolets along with E34 5 Series are on the radar. XJSs are a little out of my financial reach, however a 4.0-litre XJ or XJR haven’t been written off (excuse the pun) just yet.

Let me know your suggestions. Whatever I do buy will be replacing the Jag as the topic of these blogs. I trust you’ve enjoyed reading about the auto as much as i’ve enjoyed owning the idea. currently with its twelfth owner, the idea’s Great to know I contributed to keeping the idea on the road for just a little longer.